There will be a crackdown on fraudulent safety practices in the energy sector. Dr Thackwray Driver, CEO of the Energy Chamber, made this comment in his address to participants during the World of Work Seminar hosted by the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP) at Naparima Bowl, San Fernando.
Driver said to get into the sector, applicants require a safety pass which is obtained by passing an exam in Health, Safety and Environment. However, organisations are selling fraudulent safety passes. Driver warned that persons found in possession of bogus safety passes will be blacklisted.
Driver told the participants that improper safety procedures can cost lives and force closure of companies. He cited examples, including the December 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, when an industrial accident claimed 3,000 lives and
affected more than 200,000 people. That disaster eventually led to the closure of Union Carbide.
Driver warned young people that illegal drug use can also get them booted out of the energy industry since employees are randomly tested for drugs. On a more positive note he said there are several high-paying jobs available for technicians and craft workers. He said there are people in T&T with a handful of O'Level passes earning US$2,000 a day.
Driver said these jobs require competence and commitment and he advised them to seek employment through service companies rather than larger organisations since they have a better chance of being hired.
